This is the second post in our series Caring for Your Handknits.

In the previous post, we went over how important it is to keep the yarn information from each project.  In this post, we are going to go over washing your handknit or handcrocheted item.

Step 1: Check the yarn information.

This particular sweater is out of an 75% Superwash Merino/ 25% Nylon yarn, so it could be machine-washed.  However, the pattern is a cabled lace and I don’t want to subject this type of fabric to the stresses of machine-washing, so I’m going to soak it in a basin of room temperature water and some type of no-rinse wash (Eucualan and Soak are two popular washes). Also, I must have noticed that when I washed the swatch, some of the color bled, so I’ve noted this item should be washed alone.

Step 2: Soak the item.  I smush it gently below the surface of the water to get fully wet and then I leave it for 30 minutes (or whenever I remember to get back to it).

Step 3: Gently drain off excess water. I tip the basin over the edge of the sink while holding my hand in front of the sweater to keep the sweater from dropping out of the basin.

At this point, I try to avoid picking up the sweater because the weight of the water can distort the fabric and stretch it out.  Once most of the water is drained, I do one of two things to get rid of the excess water: the spin cycle on my washing machine or rolling it in towels.

Step 4a: If you are going to use the spin cycle on the washing machine, make sure that it only spins the basket. Do not put your item in a machine that will agitate or rinse the garment.  I gently set the garment on the bottom of the basket and close the lid. You only need to let it spin for a minute or so.  The centrifugal force of the spin basket keeps the sweater slapped up against the side of the basket, so it is not agitated at all. The item should feel considerably drier than before. Damp, yes, but not sopping wet. (My washing machine is in the darkest corner possible of my garage, so this was the least blurry picture I could shoot – with the overhead light bulb on and the garage doors up)

Step 4b: If you aren’t sure of your washing machine or aren’t near one, rolling your item up in towels is a never-fail way of getting that excess water out of the garment.  I usually use three or four towels stacked together.

Gently arrange the garment on the towel stack.

Roll the stack into a jelly roll shape.

I usually stand on it (no shoes) for a minute or so to help work the water into the towels and then I’ll let it sit for a while, or I’ll put it into a second towel stack.

This technique does produce a lot of wet towels, so you’ll need to consider places to hang them to dry.

Step 5: Once the excess water has been removed, gently lay out the item, using your fingers to smooth out the fabric and shape the fabric for drying.  I have a towel-covered area or a mesh drying rack that I use for this.  I prefer the mesh drying rack (from a home goods store like Bed Bath and Beyond) because the air is able to move underneath the garment and it dries a little bit faster.  If I’m trying to dry it more quickly, I’ll turn on the ceiling fan or set a box fan to lightly move the air across the item.

This method is pretty much the same one I use to wet-block my pieces before seaming.  If it is something that I need to block to a particular measurement, I’ll use the towel-covered area to dry the item so that I can stick pins (non-rust T-pins) into the towel to hold the item’s shape and measurement.

Welcome to our latest blog post series Caring for Your Handknits. Many of our customers question how to care for and store their precious handknits and we hope to answer those questions.

Firstly, with just a wee bit of planning ahead, care and storage becomes much easier.  If you are giving a handknit item as a gift, a few little touches make the gift even more special. Keeping track of the yarn information is the key to treating your handknits properly.

Instead of having a stack of yarn labels hanging around, I write it all down on an index card. I include the brand and yarn line, the color number, yarn content and any care instructions that were on the label.  If I’m really on top of things, I also include the pattern name and the size I am knitting (this does not always occur).  If spreadsheets are your thing, creating one for your handknits can be invaluable.  I’ll tell you why I prefer the index card – it involves the next part.

Once I am finished with my project – everything is seamed up, zippers sewn in, buttons on, I take about two yards of the remaining yarn and wrap those around part of the index card.  If I need to make a repair in the future or I want to match the yarn without hauling my garment along, this bit of yarn is handy.  If I have an extra button or two, I’ll tack those onto the index card as well.

If it is a gift item, I try to make it look a little nicer – making the tag on the computer and including a picture of the finished item.

Of course, once you’ve done all this work, you have to keep this information in a safe place. It doesn’t do you much good if you can’t find the index cards with all these valuable facts. I wrapped a cardboard box in fabric (so it isn’t “borrowed” by anyone else in my house) and keep the index cards in there.

The crucial information is all stored away safely and I can use those parts of my brain for remembering something else besides which sweaters are 100% wool vs. 100% Superwash Wool.

Now, clearly, this is a system that works for me.  I’ve seen binders with each projects information stored in a sheet protector.  Someone else uses an accordion file.  Any organization system that works for you could be adapted to keep track of your projects and spare yarn.  The important thing is that you have the yarn information from each project available.